2576 ARTICLE 64A

aid in so doing, or furnish to any person except in answer to inquiries of
the Commissioner any special information for the purpose of either improv-
ing or injuring the rating of any such person for appointment or employ-
ment. No applicant shall deceive the Commissioner for the purpose of
improving his chances or prospects for appointment. No person shall use
or promise to use his influence or official authority to secure any appoint-
ment or prospect of appointment to any position classified under this
Article as a reward or return for personal or partisan political service. No
public officer or employee, whether in the classified service or not shall,
by means of threats or coercion, induce or attempt to induce any person
holding a position in the classified service to resign his position or to
take leave of absence from duty or to waive any of his rights under this
Article. No person about to be appointed to any position classified shall
sign or execute a resignation dated or undated in advance of such appoint-
ment. Any such resignation shall be of no effect.

An. Code, 1924, sec. 24. 1920, ch. 41, sec. 24.

28. Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this Article
or of the rules of the Commissioner, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and
shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than fifty
dollars ($50.00) and not more than three thousand ($3,000.00) or by
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or by both such fine
and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.

An. Code, 1924, sec. 25. 1920, ch. 41, sec. 25.

29. Whenever the State's Attorney for the City of Baltimore or the
county in which an offense under this Article is alleged to have been com-
mitted shall refuse to prosecute any person alleged to have committed
such an offense, or shall fail to prosecute such person after the alleged
offense is brought to his attention, then any citizen may apply to any
judge of a nisi prius court of such city or county for the appointment of
a special attorney to conduct a prosecution of such person or persons, and
upon such application the court may appoint some competent attorney
to prosecute the person or persons alleged to have committed the offense,
and the special attorney so appointed shall have the same power and au-
thority in relation to any such prosecution as the State's Attorney would
or might have had if such special attorney had not been appointed.

An. Code, 1924, sec. 26. 1920, ch. 41, sec. 26.

30. It shall be the duty of the Commissioner to begin and conduct
all civil suits which may be necessary for the proper enforcement of this
Article and of the rules of the Commissioner and to defend all civil suits
which may be brought against the Commissioner. The Commissioner shall
be .represented in such suits and in all legal matters by the Attorney-
General of the State. Any citizen of the State may maintain an action in
any court of record or before any justice of the peace to recover, for the
use of the State, any sums paid contrary to the provisions of this Article
or of .the rules of the Commissioner from the person or persons authorizing
or making such payment to enjoin such person or persons from making
such authorization, or to enjoin the Commissioner from attaching his
certificate to a payroll, if a certificate is provided for by rule, in viola-